SCORES of jobs are under threat at a Worcester bathroom company after the firm has announced it is to relocate to Bilston in the West Midlands.

Dolphin Bathrooms, in Bromwich Road, St John's, has been in the city for 35 years and employs a total of about 80 on the site.

But staff were told at the end of last week that the Worcester site - where the administration side of the business is run - would close and move to its sister location at Primepoint in Bilston.

The move has been made as the lease is due to run out on the Bromwich Road building and the company has brand-new offices to accommodate some of the staff at Bilston.

However, a company spokeswoman said the site would not close until June 2006 and that employees would be offered relocation packages to the Bilston site, where its warehouse and distribution centre are based.

She added the company could not confirm as yet how many jobs would be under threat and the announcement had been made now to give employees as much notice as possible.

"We very much regret such a plan has to be considered at all," she said.

"The performance and co-operation by the staff at Worcester has been outstanding, but circumstances such as the lease expiration in 2006, difficult trading conditions and space availability in our relatively new Bilston facility has meant there's no viable alternative.

"However, we're of the opinion the move to Bilston will help strengthen Dolphin's position in the marketplace by taking advantage of certain synergies, while providing the majority of our staff with a better working environment and more secure employment," the spokesman added.